The Guys came to visit. All five of them. I was ill-prepared, but they didn’t seem to notice. The beds upstairs weren’t made; the pies weren’t baked and I had on ragged shorts. But we had a good time.
Big Spender was on his way north to buy an antique, Farmall tractor. They all enjoyed the stop-over at the Amish Store in Fountain City, In. where they stocked up on bulk candy, meats and cheeses to take home.
Historian and I continued our efforts to restore the gravestone marker of our great grandfather, a Civil War veteran. We visited the county historical society, the courthouse, the health department, the veteran’s services office but we didn’t get anywhere. We needed the death certificate of a man who died in 1901 and it wasn’t available. Even though we had all kinds of records, we didn’t have a death certificate. Another trip and another search.
Helper and Techie demonstrated what a smart phone is all about. A difficult question — he could get the answer. He had an alarm clock and a flashlight at the ready. His greatest asset was his willingness to do tasks I hadn’t even given a thought to. Edging the sidewalk; sweeping the chicken-house (storage shed) and bringing me chocolate candy. You can’t beat that.
Coffeemaker was the first one up and the first one to bed. When you smelled the Maxwell House it was time to get up. He was also good at clearing up the supper dishes. He knew where the dishwasher was and he found the compost pile.
Younger brought levity to the group. He had a handle-bar moustache and was a good help with the mechanics of the trip.
I finally got around to the pie baking. They gave praises to my Sugar Cream Pie. There are many recipes for milk, or sugar cream pie. It is the Indiana State Pie; also a favorite at the Golden Lamb Restaurant at Lebanon, Ohio. My recipe from the Indiana Agrinews is quick and easy.
Sugar Cream Pie
1 pre-baked pie crust
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 cups half-and-half cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
Sprinkle of nutmeg
Melt butter in saucepan over low heat. Add sugar and cornstarch, stirring until blended. Slowly add cream and cook until thickened. Remove rom heat, add vanilla. Pour into crust, sprinkle with nutmeg and cool. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Another favorite with the Guys was the rhubarb jam.
Rhubarb Jam
5 cups rhubarb, diced very fine
3 cups sugar
1 3-oz. box strawberry jello
Stir rhubarb and sugar together in large bowl and let stand over night. Mix thoroughly and cook in heavy pan, boiling on low for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in jello. Pour in jars and seal. Store in refrigerator or freezer.
Photo by Fotolia/fotogal
